my microcosm

Dwelling Portably 1990-1999

"For the past 30 years, Bert and Holly have been cranking this out on a
manual typewriter in their yurt. You'll find diagrams and notes on how
to make tools, portable showers, find seasonal jobs, stay warm at night
while Winter camping; hitchhiking and freight train hopping guides;
suggestions from people who live in their car, in tents, yurts, tipis,
or nowhere at all. And perhaps my favorite thing about "Dwelling
Portably" are the personal stories that surround the helpful
information." -Print Fetish

Comments

"I recommend them highly to anyone interested in alternative living or bare bones camping."

Relax Shax8/29/2010

"Great bang-for-the-buck reading, with lots of other input from people living the portable/hobo lifestyle. Some cool lodging ideas too."

Verbicide7/29/2010

"Bert and Holly Davis shared a legacy of independence born out of less-established life — or maybe a life established differently. Dwelling Portably is a mini-revelation of an invisible society of people whose elders of the time briefly stepped into the literary light for 18 years (from 1990 to 2008), sharing their philosophy on basic life through survival tips and tricks in little info letter that is now reached a two-volume anthology."

Buzzine2/15/2010

"Appropriate for the long-term camper, this series of zines and books put out by Microcosm Publishing provides hours of entertainment and indispensable advice from people who live in the woods, on sailboats, and in their vehicles."

Cool Tools1/30/2010

"Practical advice about being homeless or low-budget in-motion by choice -- camping on the edges, living simply, getting by on the road and loving it."

Roctober1/26/2010

“Great for anyone who wants to go outside!”

Clint Johns, Zine World1/20/2010

Microcosm Publishing has put together what looks like every issue of this marvelous zine from the last decade of the last century. This is a dense compendium of information you can use to go camping safely and simply, to augment your home with natural, eco-friendly strategies and devices, and/or make yourself more self-sufficient in sometimes surprising ways. Want to live in a tent? Here’s how. What about a van? Okay, here’s how to rig electricity for your van safely, and how to care for the engine to boot. Need to know the law governing yurt usage in your area? Or how to lift a bicycle over a fence? Also includes lots of review of products like effective self-defense tools, food for camping, and the like. This is all capped with a very handy, helpful index (Faucet – milk jug, p. 42). If you want to simplify your life, get this book. It is amazing. And for only $7, why wouldn’t you get it?

Lime11/1/2009

"More great DIY dosage courtesy of Microcosm Publishing, who’ve helped compile a whopping thirty years worth of hand-typed, hard-won knowledge of life on the road originally published as Message Post. How to hop a freight train, how to build a solar cooker, how to keep mobile chickens, and how to build a yurt are some of the back-to-basics, practical tips you’ll find here, shared by the Davises as well as by their loyal readers (and fellow portable dwellers). Forget the cupboard of canned soup and those survivalist scare pamphlets—when the big upheaval hits, Dwelling Portably is the resource you’ll want to have by your side. "

Razorcake11/1/2009

"Well. This zine is about, appropriately enough, how to dwell portably. Apparently, we really don’t need houses and electricity in the modern world. I, however, like my relatively stable crapshack, and since I live near a viable, centralized food source, my world doesn’t need to be that portable. However, if you’re into the nomadic existence, I’d bet dollars to donuts that this would be a helpful zine. Lots and lots of copy about things such as where in the wilds to put your poop in any given season, using a venom extractor to remove a tick, and how to recycle damaged plastic buckets with new uses. Also, if you’re into camping (I mean into REAL camping, not living off of Ding Dongs stowed in the trunk) I’m sure that this would be a great mag. There’s almost no wasted space, and the info appears knowledgeable and covers diverse topics (about how to dwell portably). If you’re homeless or on the run from the cops or into hardcore camping, this is for you."

Heath Row's Media Diet7/3/2009

'Regardless of your living situation -- rural or urban -- reading this zine will inspire you to go back to the land -- and will give you the tools and ideas you need to do so inexpensively. Material in this issue covers Chinese-style wheelbarrows, peak forces on backpacks, grain storage, infected food and clean water, vehicle repair, and temporary housing. Wonderfully homespun, Dwelling Portably mixes personal experience and reader contributions. A must read."

Midwest Book Review

A combination memoir and guide to daily life focusing on the skills, tips, tricks, and advice needed to live comfortably and healthily, whether in a tent, car, van, or bus. Covers everything from cooking food without a stove to washing one's clothes without a washing machine.

Xerography Debt

The way things are going lately, it appears more and more relevant with each passing day.